According to the American Cancer Society, limiting children's exposure to the sun reduces children's risk of skin cancer in later life. Skin cancer is the most common preventable cancer in the United States, affecting approximately 1,000,000 people every year. Despite the prevalence of skin cancer in the United States, adequate sun protection measures were unavailable for babies and toddlers. Many pediatricians advise against using sunscreen on babies younger than 6 months of age, leaving parents with fewer means to protect their children from the sun.
Strollers, prams, joggers and car seats do not provide adequate UV protection. Those that have built in covers or hoods do not adequately protect from sun exposure. In recent years, as people have become aware of the importance of sun protective measures, there have been covers marketed as sunshade covers. However, many of these covers, despite the marketing claims do not provide adequate UV protection.
Most cloth and mesh products do not provide UPF 50+ protection other than the few made from cloth that is above 93% UPF. In addition, the mesh shades, because they are mostly made from plastic based material, do not prevent areas from becoming too warm for the baby. While some Nylon/Lycra products provide UPF 50+, they do not return to their original UPF 50+ protection after stretching. This leaves babies and toddlers at greater risk of sun exposure. In addition, these products are not made from breathable fabric. Slight wind blows these products leaving the baby and toddler exposed to the sun until a person physically returns the product to its original position.
This invention returns to its original UPF protection after stretching, prevents areas from becoming too warm for the baby and toddler and is made from a breathable fabric. In addition, it maintains its position in light to moderate wind conditions and returns to its original position following a strong gust of wind. No other product is versatile for use on a stroller, jogger, car seat and pram. As a result of the inventors' collaborative efforts, this invention significantly improves upon other products, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,756, owned by Karen Clark-Dickson.